Wednesday, April 11, 2012

While I was at the quilting retreat a couple of weeks ago, I worked on my Union Jack quilt blocks. Which is exactly the same thing I have worked on for the past three years, at this same quilting retreat. In fact, Amy McClellan, the retreat orchestrator, laughed when she saw me pull them out again this year. Here's last year's finishes. And here are the blocks from the year before.

This year was the year I determined to sew enough blocks so that I can finally FINISH my quilt. I've got the sashing cut and I need to just assemble them all! I used this Victory Garden pattern. (I modified it slightly to have less fabric waste.) My blocks and fabrics are inspired by Cath Kidston, another UK love.

I'm such an Anglophile. I loved my time living in England in my early 20's. My dream is to take my family back and live there for a summer, or maybe longer. I will keep dreaming that dream and feeding my Britain Pinterest board...

...in the meantime I'm lucky to have nice friends who feed my love for all things British like sending me Cath Kidston buttons and making me the world's cutest Union Jack needle book. Now I just need to find some good fish'n'chips.

32 comments:

I didn't know you served your mission in England. My mom was born in England and lived there for a good portion of her childhood. I know what you mean about some good fish and chips :) That and a lovely trifle for dessert would set me just right :)

Ohmygosh! Those blocks are just adorable Amy! You're making me want to make some -- in a BIG way. I love all things UK too. I'm sure you've seen the new Cool Britannia fabric? I'm trying to think of something fun to make with it! (Love your Pinterest board too -- I need to copy it LOL!)

There's a couple of fab ranges of fabrics come out for the Jubilee/Olympics this year, if you wish to feed your obsession... Makower and Bernatex are the manufacturers, and both have fun UK/London/Jubilee themed prints

I love your blocks! I am an anglophile myself too, I lived in England a few years ago and I fell in love with the country the moment I set my foot on British soil. I have quite a stash of reds (I am making a Dear Jane in beige and reds) and you have given me an idea about what to do with the remnants. Thanks for sharing them (Nieves from Madrid, Spain)

Okay, do you have a good source for the Cool Britannia collection? One of the prints from the collection I really love isn't listed on the Fat Quarter Shop site. Any other suggestions, because you know I'm just itching to hold that fabric to my chest, breathe deeply, and imagine I'm in London.

I though I wouldn't be swayed by any of the UK/Jubilee/Olympic stuff that's bound to be everywhere over here this summer and here you are making beautiful blocks and tempting me like mad!! Love the red white and blue squares too - bother! ;)

I love the UK too -- mostly those wonderful accents. I backpacked through Europe when I graduated college and hoped that I would meet my British husband there so I could live with an accent for the rest of my life (and maybe adopt a faux one myself (a la Madonna!)...LOL!). Alas, that didn't happen, and maybe I should have specified which accent I was hoping for, because God sent me the most wonderful man. With an accent too! But it's a Queens one (think New York accent, but not the exaggerated Brooklyn ones from the movies). Sigh for no British accent, and SIGH for my wonderful local hubby. :)

I love these! The needle book especially is adorable, and I love your fabric choices. I just finished a small Union Jack quilt for a friend's baby, and now I'm thinking I need to make some more blocks for myself!

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